Issue Five

I Open My Mouth and Birds Fly Out

September/October 2016

Welcome to the world of Root & Star, the magazine for the WHOLE child — the wise, the wild, the strange & the sweet.

We bring heartfelt literature and art to children all year long. Hooray!

In our fifth issue we celebrate the voice of children.

We think about how the world sings to and through these little beings we love so much.

We have activities that make noise out of nature, an ancient fable about a girl who loves her voicelessness, a song by a contemporary folk musician, a meditation on clucking chickens, and so much more.

We hope you find lots of beauty in the edging into autumn that also appears in this issue, and that you enjoy the magazine as much as we enjoyed making it!

40 full-color pages of beauty and life.

The 'target audience' for each magazine is children ages 2-8, or children who are being read to and/or are just learning to read — but because children are never far from their siblings and caregivers, we created a magazine that can be enjoyed by all ages, from 1 to 100.

David Gregal, Jr.lives in Washington, DC. At the end of the day, he loves reading books with his wife and two kids before bedtime.

Christine Hartzleris one of the makers of this magazine. She lives in Seattle with her husband and two boys. Five-year-old Oliver knows what two-year-old Damian is saying even when Christine doesn’t.

Erin Hüberis an artist living in Indiana. When she’s not telling stories through cut paper and illustrations, she’s making apple pies and enjoying quiet time with her children.

Robb N. Johnstonis an artist and author/illustrator of children’s picture books. His two books (so far!) areThe Woodcutter and The Most Beautiful TreeandLelani and The Plastic Kingdom.

Petya Kazantsevalives in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her passion is drawing and creating. She loves to travel and dream of everything beautiful, but mostly she finds her magic when being around friends. Petya adores life, and she has promised herself that she will turn all the impossible into the possible...

Lida Larinalives in Russia. Every day, Lida walks her best friend—her black dog named Babai. After their walk, Lida draws the sleeping Babai.

Sabrina Leelives in New York City with her husband and two rescue cats. Most days you’ll find her creating in the kitchen, dreaming of country living, playing feline entertainer to Miu Miu and Misha, or simply living life one drawing at a time.

Kay Levertonlives in a cottage in a small town in Wales, UK. She draws a lot on Scraperboard, daydreams a lot, and gets lost in the garden which gets very overgrown. She can often be found with her head in a bush watching various bees and butterflies go about their daily tasks.

Courtney Mandrykis one of the makers of this magazine. She loves paper and ink, water, mishaps, and things that are broken and patched. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Bethann Garramon Merklelives in Wyoming, where she cooks, gardens, hunts, hikes with her puppy Brio, and hangs out with scientists like her husband. As a writer and illustrator, Bethann best enjoys telling stories about nature and the scientists who study it.

Aaron Reidlives near Mount Rainier with his wife, son, and daughter. He tries to make them laugh. Sometimes they do. He also has a wobbly cat. And a beard. His daughter says he looks like a grandpa.

Chana Rothmanis a singer-songwriter based in Philadelphia. She lives with her partner and three children in a cozy house with a piano, eight drums, and at least six guitars.

Atabey Sánchez-Haimanis a Puerto Rican artist and scientist who lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her son. They spend their days drawing, reading, laughing, and going for walks. Her favorite things to include in her art are dinosaurs, giraffes and robots. She loves to make art that makes you smile! She also loves a good joke. Here’s one that her son made up: What kind of dinosaur likes vegetables? Cornotaurus!

Kanjana Yotjangrew up in Thailand. She moved to New York City where she grew her artistic skill, and she currently lives in San Francisco. She loves mountain hikes, morning lakes to swim, summers on the farm, and telling stories to little kids of speaking animals.